Summer in Montauk may have earned its own category of social media mayhem (to the joy of some; the chagrin of many others). For those of us here all year, though, our money is on the wind-whipped, ocean-facing beauty of the off-season.
Before last May, The Bird bar manager Travis Slocum had never even heard of the wildly popular drinking village with a fishing problem. A military kid, his family moved all over the globe and that no-moss-grows lifestyle suited him when he decided to enter the world of hospitality. A mutual friend led to a connection with third-generation owner of The Bird and Daunt’s Albatross, Leo Daunt, whose establishments stay open all year long.
The next thing he knew, the Little Rock, Ark.-born bartender was behind the stick at The End, and loving it. He took to the town like a fish to water, translating the rhythms and moods of Montauk through the ingredients in his excellent cocktails, like the wintry warmer Shipwreck Cove.
“The cocktail itself is kind of a nod to an old-time classic called a Rusty Nail, which is just Scotch and Drambuie, the Scottish honey liqueur from the Highlands,” says Slocum. “I put a twist on it by doing a ginger infusion to the Scotch and then mixing it with the honey liqueur with a citrusy backbone of Grand Marnier and orange bitters. It’s more of a tea approach.”
He also adds just a spot (because less is more here) of Fernet-Branca, the mighty, muscled, minty Milanese amaro, to balance the sweetness of the Drambuie. “A little goes a long way with that minty menthol flavor,” Slocum advises. That clever little punch of amaro creates an extra dimension of lightness and approachability in the drink, which is actually quite spirit-forward.
“It’s easy to drink but it packs a punch. I think of the fishermen getting off their boats in the cold at the end of the day. You want something easy to warm you up,” he says. “I don’t do anything too frou-frou with it — just a rocks glass, a big ice cube and a dehydrated orange wheel. It’s a bougie’d up Rusty Nail!
The Bird’s Shipwreck Cove
Ingredients
- 1/2 oz ginger-infused Dewar's White Label Blended Scotch Whisky (see below for recipe)
- 3/4 oz Drambuie Scotch Whiskey Liqueur
- 1/2 oz Grand Marnier Orange Liqueur
- 1/4 oz Fernet-Branca
- 2 dashes orange bitters
- 1 dehydrated orange wheel for garnish
For the ginger-infused Dewar's
- 1 liter Dewar's White Label Blended Scotch Whisky
- 250 grams fresh ginger
Directions
- Fill a mixing glass with ice. Pour in all liquid ingredients and stir until well-chilled, about 10 to 15 seconds.
- Strain over a large single ice cube in a rocks glass. Garnish with the dehydrated orange wheel. Cheers!
Ginger-infused Dewar's
- Peel and grate the ginger. Pour the whisky into a large, sealable glass container and add in the ginger. Allow to sit for 24 hours in a cool, dry place.
- Pour the mixture through a fine mesh sieve, pressing on the ginger with the back of the spoon to release all the liquid. Return the whisky to its original bottle.
